IV lines are typically small and flexible plastic tubes used to transfer fluids from a source into an IV needle or catheter that is positioned in the vein of a medical patient. Intravenous infusions may include fluids to provide hydration or nutrition, and/or medications such as IV antibiotics or IV chemotherapy.
There are two categories of IV lines: peripheral and central lines. A peripheral IV line is one in which the needle is inserted through the skin directly into a vein in the hand or arm, often via a port needle. Peripheral IV's are usually used for a short time period (days) and can become easily dislodged from the vein if pulled on or bumped. The second category of IV lines is a central line. Central lines are IV catheters that are surgically threaded into a large vein leading to the heart, are semi-permanent, and are used for longer term therapies (weeks to years). Central lines provide a secure IV access but also have a risk of becoming infected, which can be serious and life-threatening.
When a patient is in the hospital and receiving intravenous therapy, ambulation is often needed to maintain the patient's health, strength, and endurance. Because it is only possible for an IV line to deliver one fluid at a time, multiple IV lines may necessarily be attached to the patient depending on the number of fluids the patient needs at any given time. When multiple IV lines are attached concurrently to a patient, the IV lines often become tangled, causing nurses to spend valuable time attempting both to untangle the lines and to maintain the lines in an untangled state.
For young children or those having short stature, this problem is further complicated as the discrepancies between the patient's height, IV pump and stand height, and the IV tubing length often result in the IV tubing laying or dragging on the floor and becoming a tripping hazard, or being run over by the IV pole. When this happens the exterior surfaces of the IV tubing may be inadvertently contaminated, and that contamination can be transferred to the patient, for example, by touching or handling the IV tubing, or by placement of the IV tubing next to the patient in bed, which is a common practice. Having dirt, organisms, or other contaminants on the exterior of the tubing makes the immuno-compromised patient at increased risk of having a central line-associated bloodstream infection, or other infectious event.
At the same time, a certain amount of slack is required in the IV lines. Without this slack a patient would be severely limited in mobility or in danger of toppling the IV stand or pole. Additionally, the absence of slack in the IV lines can contribute to separation of the IV tubes from the patient or IV pump, or damage to the patient or patient care equipment. For this reason, shortening the IV lines, or coiling the lines to remove excess slack for the purpose of reducing contamination, is not a viable option.
What is needed in the industry is a mechanism for keeping one or more IV lines suspended for the purpose of reducing contact with the floor, while at the same time permitting temporary slack in the one or more IV lines when the patient moves and slack is desired.